David Goyer Reportedly Pitching a SANDMAN Adaptation to Warner Bros.!

Badass Digest is reporting that David Goyer has pitched an adaptation of Neil Gaiman's pivotal comic series The Sandman to Warner Bros., and that the studio has been very receptive. Additionally, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is rumored to be attached to the project, though the capacity remains unclear - after the success of DON JON, it is conceivable that he could be stepping up to direct the film, but it is probably more likely to assume that he would be acting in the film instead - likely playing the role of Morpheus.

If you are unfamiliar with The Sandman series, it revolves The Endless - a family of beings who personify and embody specific aspects of the universe (Dream, Death, Despair, Delirium, Desire, Destiny and Destruction). Specifically, it centers on Dream (also known as Morpheus). The various story arcs explore different tales across history and mythology, sometimes only tangentially incorporating The Endless themselves, but always creating a fantastically rich and enveloping world.

SANDMAN is one of those comic properties that would be difficult (if not impossible) to film. It has a complex mythology, it's strange, it's got weird characters that represent abstract concepts, it's dark, it's sad and it's not at all the standard superhero story that we have become accustomed to seeing out of comic adaptations - all good things that contribute greatly to the richness of the universe and the stories in it. It's a fantastic series, and remains one of my all-time favorites.

But I'm having a really really hard time imagining just how it could possibly translate to film. One solitary film could never do it justice. If they did a series of films? Maybe. If it were adapted to television - definitely. I could see a successful run that spent a season each on individual storylines that run together, much like in the comics. That could be cool. But I don't know if a film adaptation can accurately depict and tell the story of Dream and the Endless and have it be compelling for all audiences.

I could see Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the role (assuming that his involvement would be as an actor, and not as a director). He is a solid actor and Morpheus is definitely a character that I could see being in his wheelhouse. And if he were to play Morpheus, the second most important question becomes who would play Death? Because if they miscast her, the entire thing just goes to hell.

Goyer is an interesting name to spearhead the project. He's done some good stuff, though it tends to be when someone else is guiding the project (Nolan, Snyder). But, as Badass notes, his involvement in the DARK KNIGHT series and now in the MAN OF STEEL films has made him a bit of a go-to for the studio when it comes to comic adaptations, and if anyone has the kind of clout to get this thing off the ground, he probably does. But I do think that this is a difficult property to adapt - for anyone.

And again, this is in the very VERY early stages and may never see the light of day. This, certainly isn't the first time The Sandman has come up as a potential film project. Roger Avary, Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio, and William Farmer have all been attached to past scripts that never came to fruition, and it's possible that this project will do the same.